TIP#1.1 Sleep Like A Caveman For More Gains
If you're into fitness in any way at all, you've most likely heard of diets like the 'Paleo Diet' or 'Caveman Diet'. Diets that only allow you to eat animals and plants that grow naturally, preferably wild, and absolutely no processed or manufactured food sources at all, basically if it didn't exist 10,000 years ago then it ain't going on your plate. Well... enter 'Caveman Rest', a recovery method basically revolving around how our natural wild selves would recover after a long day fighting off wolves or hunting and slaying mammoths.
Now, I don't mean sitting around a cave fire and chewing on a wild boar. What I am on about is of course the curious sleeping patterns of our highly evolved ancestors. We can all agree that all our muscle and nervous system recovery occurs at rest, and mostly when we are asleep. However, not all sleep is created equal. If we look at our species from a genetic point of view, we are clearly diurnal creatures (opposite of nocturnal) meaning we are awake and active during daylight hours. Our bodies are adapted to being efficient, strong, alert and very active when the sun is up - and therefore almost the opposite when the sun goes down, during which all these things recover and rest.
Although there are many, many chemical processes that go on in our bodies to maintain optimal health, one chemical process is called the Endocrine system, controlled by the Adrenal Gland on top of the Kidneys. This system is responsible for hormone release. Hormones are a biochemical communicator between organs and tissues and regulate physiological and behavioral activities from digestion, growth and repair to mood and reproduction and much more. Pretty important system right? It's in our best interest to maintain proper function of the endocrine system at all times, as the impact of poor adrenal function is catastrophic. The symtoms of poor adrenal function range from extreme fatigue and low sex drive to metabolism and organ damage, plus more. Obviously, something we need to avoid at all costs.
Unfortunately, this is a 21st Century problem, and causes are all too common; poor diet, substance abuse, too little sleep and rest, or too much pressure or stress from hard work. When you think about it, it's actually hard to accept that anyone can make any significant fitness gains by participating in any one of these habits. If you are victim to one or more of these causes then good news is that now you can fix at least one of them, your sleep pattern. If we want to rest like our caveman friends, wake up and be strong, alert, efficient and active throughout the day then we must sleep like they do - when it gets dark. Then wake up as soon as the Sun comes out. That is real rest and that is the window of time of sleep when our endocrine system works optimally. Extreme? Well, maybe compared to your current lifestyle, but it will completely transform how your body recovers.
Depending on where you live, the sleep window can be as early as 9pm-4.30am, and in an ideal world then we would all be much healthier if we slept within this window. BUT, since this might be unrealistic for a lot of us, we can a least try and match it as much as we can. Personally, I try and make my sleep window from 10.30pm-6am, and I am never tired during the day and I always wake up full of energy and feeling well rested. Growth Hormone is what we need when recovering from a hard workout and we can only take advantage of it when we sleep in an optimal window. Go to bed past midnight every night? Forget about it, you have no right to take advantage of growth hormone. Poor diet? Forget about it. Drugs abuse and alcohol? Forget it. Constantly stressing out and under pressure at work? Kiss your gains goodbye. Optimal Sleep will help you cope with stress better though, and if getting rid of your source of stress is not an option, then sleeping like a caveman is really your only option for salvation. Get to bed early, rest, recover and then wake up early to take on the day.
Recover strong, and be methodical about your goals. I will do my very best to always provide you with helpful information you can actually use and implement right away.
Thank you so much for reading.
Matt
BONUS ROUND: Some Benefits of Optimal Hormone Release during sleep.
Fatburn, Muscle Gain, Muscle Maintainance, Strength Gain, Metabolism optimisation, improved digestion, stress reliever, nervous system recovery, improved brain function, cardio vascular recovery.
